BIG CHANGES

 

NO MORE MASKS REQUIRED.

Thank God.

Everyone is over them.

Also, most of the restrictions per Covid are gone as well.

I won't go into more of the details, the biggest thing is no longer having to wear damn masks.  This summer is going to be so much more bearable without masks.

The other good thing, we are getting a 'one off' public holiday on September 26th to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth 11.  

Back to today... I've got a parcel to post, a couple of things to get from the supermarket and that's about it.

I'm hosting Card Night tonight, so I better think of some supper for the girls too.

11.25 am:  And I'm home after visiting three Countdown supermarkets for one specific thing.  Which I didn't get.  Dammit.

I'm now on the phone.... to one of them to make a complaint about the SMELL coming from their meat department.  It was horrible.  And they need to address it, cos I wasn't the only person going 'Eeewww'.

I'm not feeling too enthusiastic about much today.

I have cancelled Card Night, as yet again, there's not enough coming.

Shame I bought stuff for supper.  Oh well, Stew and I can eat it.

9.15 pm:  Stew just pointed out that I've not updated in AGES today.

Whoops.

I made another runner this afternoon.

I cooked an amazing dinner for Stew and me.

Watching the telly.  Blankie on.  Feeling cosy.

Catch ya tomorrow.

IT WENT...

 At midday yesterday I put our old hand lawn mower out on the grass verge, hoping someone would take it off our hands.

It had only been used ONCE.  But was a bit rusty/stiff in places.  I thought it would end up in our garden.

ABOVE:  It sat out there for almost 5 hours, until I got a knock at the front door.

It was a bloke asking about the mower.  And when I assured him it was for free, he happily took it.

It only needs a bit of CRC and a clean, and I'm sure it will be good to go.

I had not planned on buying any more Britto, as it has gone up in price A LOT in the past couple of years.

But when Stew and I were out yesterday, he spied a figurine and container that he thought we should buy.

ABOVE:   DORY !  How could I say no?  He's gorgeous, and so cute.  edit:  I stand corrected.  It's FLOUNDER, not Dory.

ABOVE:  And this cookie jar.  You don't often see 'functional' Britto, so this was a happy must get too.

Luckily there isn't much Britto around now, saves our $$'s for sure.

Today I've got all the washing to do, and the other usual Monday morning household jobs.

Then I am going to work on the small Kiwiana runner I started last night.  It's for someone special.  No names.  I really want to get it done today or tomorrow, so I can post it off in a few days.

    ABOVE:  2 pm, and I've been working on the runner since 8 am.

It's now done.

ABOVE:  It took a bit longer than usual because I stitched a few words on the back.

They shall remain private.

ABOVE:  It was supposed to be a SMALL runner.  Seems I don't 'do' small.

😔😖😜

It's another gorgeous runner that I am proud of.

I am stopping for a break now.

6.55 pm:  Well guess what?

I didn't take a break, I made another Kiwiana Runner!  Same as this morning's one, only bigger.

Then I finally came back into the house proper and cooked dinner for Stew and I.

And now it's wind down time, I'm gunna heat up a HotPod and get me blankie on.  It's been raining almost all day, and cold.

SUNDAY JOBS

 There were a few jobs that we didn't get done yesterday, so this morning we are going to do them.

Then after lunch we are going to the mall to get some ear phones for me phone, cos that was another thing we didn't get around to yesterday.

In fact the only thing we did yesterday was have lunch at the mall with the kids.  

It was an incredibly lazy day.

Maybe we needed that.

12.25 pm:  Well we have been very busy this morning.  All our jobs are done and dusted.

We ended up doing a run to the dump with a full trailer.

Moved a few things around in the gardens and got two of the back sheds tidied up as well.

Now I do have some photos to share, but we are heading out to lunch right now, so I will post them later on today.

Not sure where we are going for lunch, but I want something warm!  

We had a late lunch at Burger Fuel... so yum.  Best burgers in New Zealand.

ABOVE:  When you have a kid in the house.

ABOVE:  This big pot got moved from right up the front to right down the back.

ABOVE:  Moving rubbish from the sheds to the trailer.... Miss Muppet was a great help to us today.

ABOVE:  Stew was going to take that metal seat/arch to the dump!

I was like, NO WAY. 

It is going in the garden, where there was a big blank space.

ABOVE:  Willy the Waiter got moved away from the trees and over there, so now we can see him better.

I can't believe I made him 20 years ago!

ABOVE:  See how cute it looks there!  We moved the big rock, (from our Cambridge garden) forward a bit so the arch fitted there.

ABOVE: We put these plastic balls out on the grass verge.  Free for removal. And they were picked up in less than a minute!!!

We put an old push mower out on the grass verge hours ago, it's still there.  Might have to park it in the garden, it can become a rusty bit.

We have Brylee and Quarter Mile here visiting, which is lovely.

'Quarter Mile' is Dominic.  Stew gave him that nickname. It's from the Fast and The Furious series, because the guy, Dominic Toretto lives his life "a quarter mile at a time".   If you know, you know.

I didn't know.  😂😂😅😆

Dinner, well as we had a large lunch, Stew suggested something a bit 'different' for our dinner tonight.

He asked for homemade Apple Pie.

Therefore, that is what I'm making.

There is fresh cream, custard and ice cream to go with it too.

NOT healthy, but we are both just tired, and in need of some comfort food.

It's not like we do dessert very often, so I'm not feeling guilty at all. 😋😊😉

The pie was delicious.  There is more for tomorrow.  Oh Dear.

ABOVE:  I wanted to get a head start on tomorrow's sewing project, so just spent an hour or so in the sewing room putting this runner together, ready for stitching in the morning.

Now... it's time to go to bed.  Very early for me, but I'm knackered.  It's been a long day/weekend.

DUMP RUN

 After having a sleep in this morning, we will get up and take a trailer load of rubbish to the dump.

Most of it is just foliage from our gardening last weekend, plus a few odds 'n' ends from around the property.

After that we will probably head off to the mall for a wander around, and lunch.

And that's it for now!

10 am:  It's cold and wet... and we have put off our dump run.

We were only doing it today to suit someone else, but that is no longer a factor.

Still I think we will go to the mall for lunch, cos I want a couple of things.

Headphones for me phone for one.  

ABOVE:  I have this sort, which is fine usually... but they get all tangled up in me handbag.

ABOVE:  Today I used Stew's headphones, cos well... sometimes ya need to listen to messages without others listening in.

So I am gunna get me some of them.  They don't get all tangled up like the other sort.

"Honey what are you making for dinner today?"

"Nothing"

"But honey, you made nothing yesterday."

"I made it for two days."

Funny.  Saw it on Instagram.  Though it could apply to this house.

Stew is doing dinner tonight.   We are having saveloys and veges.

ABOVE:  I don't know how that happened!  We have company for dinner... but they brought their own dinner.

Pizzas are in the oven. 

And yes, there's a spare kid in the row... a friend of Emily's.

It was quiet.  It's not now!

8 pm:   My ears are ringing. The family have now gone home, so I'm in recovery mode.  😂😅

Isn't it lovely when someone can't be here, but can video chat?

ABOVE: These three had a very animated chat.  So lovely to have them all getting along.

OMG I don't miss the days of having pre-teen girls and noisy little boys!  Short visits are lovely, but once they leave I'm like ... phew!

How the hell did we survive having so many kids way back when???

Back to today... it's wind down time here in the house.

Catch ya tomorrow.

DRAINED

 I went to bed last night feeling utterly drained.

And not much has changed.

Therefore, I'm staying in bed until I feel better.

ABOVE:  Until I get up and actually do something.. just look at me wall ok?

I woke this morning to such sad news.  Our most adored Queen Elizabeth has died.

ABOVE: Probably the last public photo of her, greeting the new Prime Minister of Britain, on Tuesday this week.

Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth 11.  1926 - 2022.

I have nothing nice to say about 'HIM' who ascends the throne, so I'll just shut up.

I am probably going to Cambridge again today for a meet up with some of the FGB girls.  A morning tea to remember our Queen.

I feel so sad.  She was my Queen my entire life.

She cannot be replaced.

2 pm:  Morning tea with the girls was just lovely.  We yakked for a good hour or more before coming home again.

Since then I've done nothing much, had me lunch and read a few more news articles about the Queen, and what's happening now.

All to be expected. 

3.35 pm:  I still have a damn annoying headache!

It's been hovering all day, but back with a vengeance now.  Don't worry, I know exactly why I have a headache.  

And nothing will change that for years probably.

Right.  It's been a very quiet evening.... watching some of the special shows all about Queen Elizabeth 11.  Kinda over it now though, it's on so many channels and is going on for hours!

Time to sign off for the day and catch ya tomorrow.

NEW POT?

 Lacy visited me briefly yesterday afternoon.

She gave me this:

ABOVE:  it has a strange story.

Lacy was driving over here and a car in front of her slowed down, the back door opened and that pot got thrown out onto the grass verge!

Lacy stopped and picked it up and brought it to our place!

I have put it on two local facebook pages, asking if anyone is missing it?

Failing it being claimed, I might have a a new pot plant!

With succulents no less.

edit:  since posting the pot on Facebook, I've had THREE people claim it is theirs.  Now what?

One lady said it was stolen years ago.

One lady said it was stolen two weeks ago.

And one lady said she is sure it's hers... but no explanation on when it went missing.

It looks like I have a new pot!  I'm frustrated and disappointed that people LIE over a friggin pot.

I am happy to say I can now get a good sunset photo, since Stew pruned a few trees, and in particular the camellia tree out the back.

ABOVE:  I still have to stand on a footstool, but hey, I can't help being short.  I blame the genetics.

So today I am going to work on my next Kiwiana Runner.  

There is an FBG walk on after lunch and I have put my name down for it.  Now I just have to hope it doesn't rain.  Cos there's a lot of people in Cambridge who won't walk in the rain.

Later on I will take the girls for another little walk too, probably quite late in the afternoon, once I get home from Cambridge.  

Jesus TRACY, trust you to think of that scenario.

Either way, I'm keeping the damn thing now.

I've been doing a bit of sewing this morning, and I've moved a few pots in the garden.

There's far too much out the front worth stealing!

So some of it is going in the back gardens and around the pool.

Well... I've been out walking. Now waiting to have a hot chocolate with a few of my FBG friends. 

The weather has been awesome today.  Fine and not very cold.

One of the ladies who said the pot was hers has gotten very cross with me!  Yikes. To think all I was trying to do was be honest and return it to its rightful owner. 😒🥺

Last update on the bloody pot saga.  I got sick of the last 4 messages from one particular lady... her story got longer and longer and her attitude got more nasty... but still NO proof that it was her pot.  So I told her I was keeping the damn pot, then I blocked her.

Saga over.

Pot is now in me back garden, where it will stay.

After my walk (in midday sun), the saga of the pot, and a family health issue (not mine), I got a damn headache.  I tried to sleep it off but that didn't work, so I've now got lots of Panadol on board.

Stew came home to me lying on the couch being miserable.

I got up to cook his dinner, but he has ever so kindly gone down the road for a pizza.  Awww isn't  he lovely.

Worst headache is a while, it's made me feel really sick.  NOT a migraine, but damn close.

Hopefully it goes soon and I can enjoy the remainder of the evening.

Not feeling much better so I will be heading off to bed fairly soon.

Catch you tomorrow.

PROCRASTINATION RULES MY LIFE

 So here goes.

I have talked about not wanting to EVER go on a diet again.

Never join a diet group again.

Never let my weight be the be all and end all of my day.

Cos for fucks sake, what I weigh has dominated my life for 40+ years!!!!

But, I am NOT HAPPY.

I had gained about 3 kilos in the past few months.

And I HATED myself.

I hated my reflection.

My face did not look like my face.

I was slowly losing myself again.

That happy person who liked herself.

GONE.

And there was a definite downward spiral in my mood.

I had managed to 'cover it up' lately by sewing heaps, keeping myself busy.

But yesterday I just hit a wall... because I wanted to come clean about what I've been doing.

I friggin well re-joined Weight Watchers, for the millionth time.

I swore to God I was never going to join WW again.  I hate the tracking, points, so called 'free food', the whole ethos of the place.

BUT, I re-joined for the support.

Cos I have NONE here in Hamilton.  None anywhere really.  

I DO have Stew. But he's not enough to motivate me.  

So a month ago I joined the local group.  For support.

And I told the leader I was only there for support.

I was not going to count friggin points.  I'm not going to track.  I'm not doing ANY OF IT.  I am there for support.

FULL STOP. END OF STORY.  

She still tries to make me tow the line, and power to her.  I'm not listening.  

I go.  I weigh in.  I sit and listen to the drivel.  I have a few laughs with the other ladies.

And yeah.  I hope to eventually even make a friend or two here in Hamilton.

Cos we have been here for 3 years come December, and I've made ZERO friends.  ZERO.

I know Covid slowed down the process of meeting people of course.  But seriously?

I get so damn lonely some days I just want to curl up on the couch and pretend the outside world does not even exist.

I am thankful for the friends I have in Cambridge, but I only see them if I go over there.  Does that make them friends?

Or just acquaintances?   Good question.

Some days I feel like just jumping in my car and driving to Palmerston North for the day!  Just to hang with my girlfriends down there!

But, yeah, it's a bit far.

So I suppose you are wondering if I've lost any weight in the past 4 weeks?

Well yes, yes I have.  And I feel rather good about it.  It is MOTIVATING me to keep going, to get to a DOABLE goal.

MY GOAL.  Not WW's goal.

Procrastinating now.

I have lost 4.6 kilos in the past 4 weeks.

And that is more than my goal for 4 weeks.

I was aiming for -0.5 kg a week tops.

Weirdly, I've not actually 'dieted' at all.  I've been out to dinner, had fish 'n' chip lunches and so on.  But perhaps just being a bit more aware of snacking, portion sizes and so on?

Either way, something is working.

I'm certainly not letting 'it' dominate my days at all.  If that happened I think it wouldn't work, cos as I've said before, I'm friggin well over dieting and being consumed with what I weigh.

I am just going to continue with what I've been doing, and see how I go.  And hopefully keep enjoying the meetings and make some friends?

Now... back to today.

I'm sick of saying what I'm doing... sometimes I don't even know myself.

I'm just gunna say ... let's see.  I might sew.  I might lie on the couch.  I just don't know.

I will make the bed and put a load of washing on.  That is all ya getting right now.

8.55 am:  And I'm not on the couch... yet.

I went outside (bloody cold af), and did this:

ABOVE:  I put the syphon hoses in the pool, to take off a lot of the rain water sitting on top of the pool cover.  It's green due to pollen and leaves.

The pool will have to be refilled after I take all that water off.

I can't believe that in just a few months we will be back in the pool!  

I'm clock watching... I want me lunch but it's still too early.  Coco and Marley are pissed with me cos we have left the nice warm sewing room and are now in the ice box I call my house.

ABOVE:  I finished this one.  All green on the borders/binding.  I like it.

ABOVE:  95% of the water has drained off.  It took 3 hours.  There's a gazillion mosquito larvae really, really pissed off now.  😂😏

LYNDA:  I really don't want to commit to anything like that as I want to be free to just go away at the drop of a hat. Or be available if family need me.  Steve's health is utter shit so he could end up in hospital at any time, meaning I would want to be available for babysitting and so on.

At 5 pm I decided to stop sewing and take the girls for a little walk up our street.

They loved it.

My back didn't, but never mind.

It was GOOD.

I talked to 4 different people who were out and about.

One was a neighbour who had recently bought in a new 'ready lawn'.

We drove past a week or so ago and Stew saw him watering it, after all our rain!  Stew said 'What an idiot'!

But when I told my neighbour that, he said he was told to water it every day no matter what, so that's why it was being watered. 😂😅

He didn't seem to mind being called an idiot either.  In fact we had a lovely chat about lawns, bearing in mind our back lawn is relatively new too.  Only we did it ourselves.

 Mr K's lawn cost him $2,000 !  Yikes.  I made sure neither girl did a piddle on it.

ABOVE:  Mr K and his gorgeous lawn.

ABOVE:  The girls hauling me along the path!

ABOVE:  A gorgeous garden on a cul-de-sac corner near our house.

I don't know if I feel better for our little walk, but the girls certainly enjoyed it.  I can't sew any more today, my back and neck are over it.

So I'm going into the house to sort out dinner.

Curried sausages tonight.

Dinner is over, Stew really loves curried sausages.  I'm now watching TV, doing a bit on Facebook and just keeping warm with me hot pods on my lap.

Catch ya tomorrow.

FABRIC SHOPPING

 Good morning.

Still raining.  Still cold.  What happened to SPRING?  This might just be the last hooray of winter.  Yeah.

I'm popping out this morning, firstly to Spotlight for more thread, and then I will drive out to Gordonton, to Grandmothers Garden.

They are bound to have what I'm needing for my runner's borders there.

But first.... I've the usual housework to do.  The washing will have to go on racks AGAIN. Gosh it's been an incredibly WET winter!

Stupid stupid weather! Its not raining now and in fact there's not a cloud in the sky! But yeah... it is still damn cold.  I am lying in bed at 8.47 am, trying to find some motivation to get up. 

11.35 am:  I got threads for 40% off at Spotlight... score.

Then out at Grandmothers Garden I found the perfect two fabrics to use as borders for me latest runners.

ABOVE:   There is usually a tiny stream/creek running thought those paddocks.  Today it's a lake.  I hope after all this rain it helps keep things a bit green over summer.

Right, off to do some sewing.

4.15 pm:  And it looks like it's finally happened.

After 2 months of sewing almost every day, and LOVING IT... I'm done for now.

I have to bind the latest runner, then looks like my motivation has dried up.

I have done virtually nothing today except put the borders on that runner.

NOTHING else.

I don't know what's happened, I just don't feel like doing a damn thing.

So I did a 'thing'.

And I don't feel that good about it.

But I did it anyway.

And I will talk more about 'it' tomorrow.

Don't get excited, it's old news/repeat news/been there, done that news/ bla bla bla.

I just need to talk about it.

Tomorrow.